Combination cane and retriever



June l1, 1963 E. L. slssoN 3,093,402

COMBINATION CANE AND RETRIEVER Filed Dec. 29, 1960 IN VEN TOR EARL L. 515mm AT TR'NEY.

United States Patent 3,093,402 COMBINATIN CANE AND RETRIEVER Earl L. Sisson, Stratford, Conn., assignor to Clark Metal Products incorporated, Fairfield, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Dec. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 79,257 3 Claims. (Cl. 294-19) The present invention relates to a combination cane and retriever particularly for use by arthritic, lame or other incapacitated persons who are incapable of or have dithculty in bending over to pick up small articles, an obje-ct of the invention being to provide a sturdy cane which maybe used in the manner of ya conventional cane, and having retriever means at the tip end of the cane adapted for convenient operation by means associated with the handle of 'the cane, so that the thumb or the linger of the hand gripping the handle may be employed to actuate the retriever means.

A further object is to provide a combination cane and retriever having a rubber tip removably engaged upon the tip end of the `cane and which has the dual purpose of providing the conventional non-slipping tip for the cane as well as a protective closure for the retriever means in its retracted inoperative position. A further object is to provide such rubber tip having novel means for retaining it in position upon the cane and which permits of its ready removal and replacement Ifor the purpose of utilizing the retriever means.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the yfollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and Inodilications as fall Within the spi-rit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is .a side elevation of a combination cane and retriever according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional View on an enlarged scale and partially broken away showing the combination cane and retriever in its normal inoperative position with the rubber tip in place;

FIG. 3 .is a horizontal sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional View of the rubber tip removed from the cane;

FIG. 5 is a sectional View showing the retriever means in its projected open position; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the tip end of the cane showing the retriever means in partially retracted closed position.

Referring to the drawings, the combination cane and retriever according to the invention comprises a tubular shaft 10, preferably of steel, provided upon its upper end with a laterally extending handle 11, preferably of molded plastic material, secured to the shaft by engaging the upper end of the shaft in the opening of an annular internal ange 12 at :the lower end of the hub portion 13 of the handle, the shaft being provided with a crimped bead 14 engaging the lower side of the flange 12 and a retaining tiange 15 bent outwardly at its upper edge upon the upper side of the flange 12. The hub portion 13 is provided with a cylindrical pocket 16 in axial alignment with the shaft in which there is slidably tted a push button 17 secured by a cross-pin 18 upon the upper end of a push rod 19 extending downwardly in the shaft through a lianged bearing bushing 20 seated within the upper end of the shaft. A helical expansion spring 21 is engaged about the rod between the bus-hing 20 and the lower end of the push button 17, the latter having a recess 22 in its lower end in which the upper end of the spring is seated. The spring exerts pressure upon the button to normally draw the rod upwardly within the shaft to retract the retriever member 23 connected to its lower end, as seen in FIG. 2.

The retriever member 23 is formed of a band of spring tempered metal, preferably spring steel, having a gen erally hair pin shape and consisting of a pair of side legs 214-24 joined at their upper ends by a knob like bight 25 engaged in the notched lower end 26 of the rod 19 and secured by swaging the sides of the notched ends inwardly beneath the knob like hight. The upper portions 27 of the side legs are straight and are normally pressed against each other in parallel relation, as seen in FIG. 2, the intermediate portions 2S are inclined and diverge downwardly, and the lower portions 29 are straight and normally disposed in parallel spaced relation, being provided at their lower terminal ends with outwardly bent shoulder portions 30 and inwardly bent finger portions 31 which are normally in opposed contacting relation with each other.

In upwardly spaced relation to the lower end of the shaft lo there is provided an inwardly embossed annular rib 32 dening a restricted opening with-in the shaft and which is normally engaged by the lower end portionsv 29 of the retriever member to retain its side legs in closed position, the shoulder portions 30 in this closed position being disposed beneath the rib and thus acting as stops to limit the upward movement of the rod 19 under the pressure of the spring 21. The rib 32 also defines a pocket in the lower end of the shaft of greater depth than the height of the shoulder portions 30 above the linger portions 31, so that in the fully retracted position the linger portions are enti-rely within the pocket.

The rubber tip 33 is provided with a pocket 34 having a metal disk 35 seated against its base and which normally provides a rigid cover for the lower end of the rod 19 to protect the retracted retriever, the latter being slightly spaced upwardly from the disk in the retracted position, as seen in FIG. 2. An internal annular rib 36 is provided upon the wall of the pocket 34 which snaps into the external annular groove 37 provided by the inwardly embossed annular rib 32 of the shaft, so that while the tip is normally etlectually retained in place it may be readily removed or re-engaged by virtue of the flexibility of its side wall enabling the rib 36 to be snapped into and yout of the groove 37. It will be noted that the annular rib 32 serves a three-fold purpose: one, it provides a stop means to limit the retracted position of the retriever; two, it provides the external groove 37 for retaining the rubber tip; and three, it functions as a cam to draw the projected open retriever into closed position during its retraction, `as will presently more fully appear.

In operating the retriever the rubber tip is removed and thereupon the retriever is projected by depressing the button 17, as seen in FIG. 5, the spring tension of the side legs of the retriever causing them lto spring outwardly to their open position as the intermediate inclined portions 28 of the side legs come into position within the opening of the annular rib 32. In the open position small articles, pieces of paper, or the like may be readily engaged within the open retriever and through release 0f the button 17 the retriever is retracted and closed as the lower portions 29 of the side legs come into the opening of the annular ribl 32, thus gripping the retrieved articles as the retriever moves to its partially retracted position as seen in FIG. 6. The retriever may be retained in this partially retracted position either by continuing pressure upon the button 17, or by the gripped article engaging the lower end of the shaft to hold the retriever in its partially retracted position. raised from the iloor or ground as desired itis released by again depressing the push button 17 to open the retriever member. Thereupon the spring 21 retracts the retriever member to its closed position, as seen in FIG. 2, and the rubber tip 33 is replaced to enclose and protect the retriever and enable the conventional use Of the cane.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination cane and retriever, comprising a tubular shaft having an open lower end, a laterally extending handle having a vertically extending hub portion fixed upon the upper end of said shaft, said hub portion having a vertically extending7 pocket opening to its upper end and axially aligned with said shaft, a bearing bushing in the lower end of said pocket axially aligned with said shaft, a rod disposed longitudinally in said shaft having its upper end portion slideable in said bearing bushing and extending into said pocket, a retriever means carried upon the lower end of said rod comprising a pair of laterally opposed spring legs having a closed position retracted within said shaft and an open position projected from said open lower end thereof, a push button disposed in said pocket and secured to said rod for imparting downward movement thereto to project said retriever means, a helical expansion spring interposed on said rod between said bearing and said push button for exerting upward pressure :on said rod to retract Said retriever means, and an annular inwardly directed rib upon the inner wall of said shaft upwardly spaced from said open lower end defining a restricted opening `in which said retriever means is movable during retracting and projecting movement and deiining a pocket within said shaft below said rib, said spring legs of said retriever means having inwardly directed inger portions at their lower ends, shoulder portions spaced upwardly from said nger portions a distance less than the depth of said pocket for engaging beneath said rib to limit the retraction of said retriever means under the pressure of said spring means to la position wherein said finger portions are disposed in said pocket entirely above said open lower end of said shaft, downwardly divergent inclined portions spaced upwardly from said shoulder means, and portions inter- When the article has been mediate said shoulder portions and said inclined portions of a length substantially greater than the depth of said pocket disposed parallel to each other in said closed position and adapted to engage said rib within said restricted opening in the fully retracted position of said retriever means and in a partially retracted position, and said inclined portions being movable into laterally opposed relation to said rib within said restricted opening as said retriever means is moved to its fully projected position to allow said legs to move to open position.

2. The invention as deiined in claim 1, further characterized lby a resilient tip having a base wall and an annular side wall forming a pocket in which the lower end of said shaft is removably received, and a rigid disk within said pocket upon the inner side of said base Wall for engaging and closing the open lower end of said shaft.

3. The invention as defined in claim l, wherein said annular rib is inwardly embossed from said shaft providing an annular groove in the outer wall of said shaft, and further characterized by a resilient tip having a base wall and an annular side wall forming a pocket in which the lower end of said shaft is removably received, an annular rib interiorly of said side wall engageable in said groove through the resilience of said side wall, and a rigid disk within said pocket upon the inner side of said base wall for engaging and closing the open lower end of said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 350,249 Holman Oct. 5, 1886 465,222 Ulbricht Dec. 15, 1891 889,035 Newsom May 26, 1908 2,320,611 Kandle June l, 1943 2,320,967 Dunkelberger June 1, 1943 2,585,098 Elliott Feb. 12, 1952 2,690,927 Bean Oct. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 916,812 France Aug. 26, 1946 951,869 France Apr. 18, 1949 

1. A COMBINATION CANE AND RETRIEVER, COMPRISING A TUBULAR SHAFT HAVING AN OPEN LOWER END, A LATERALLY EXTENDING HANDLE HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING HUB PORTION FIXED UPON THE UPPER END OF SAID SHAFT, SAID HUB PORTION HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING POCKET OPENING TO ITS UPPER END AND AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID SHAFT, A BEARING BUSHING IN THE LOWER END OF SAID POCKET AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH SAID SHAFT, A ROD DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID SHAFT HAVING ITS UPPER END PORTION SLIDABLE IN SAID BEARING BUSHING AND EXTENDING INTO SAID POCKET, A RETRIEVER MEANS CARRIED UPON THE LOWER END OF SAID ROD COMPRISING A PAIR OF LATERALLY OPPOSED SPRING LEGS HAVING A CLOSED POSITION RETRACTED WITHIN SAID SHAFT AND AN OPEN POSITION PROJECTED FROM SAID OPEN LOWER END THEREOF, A PUSH BUTTON DISPOSED IN SAID POCKET AND SECURED TO SAID ROD FOR IMPARTING DOWNWARD MOVEMENT THERETO TO PROJECT SAID RETRIEVER MEANS, A HELCAL EXPANSION SPRING INTERPOSED ON SAID ROD BETWEEN SAID BEARING AND SAID PUSH BUTTON FOR EXERTING UPWARD PRESSURE ON SAID ROD TO RETRACT SAID RETRIEVER MEANS, AND AN ANNULAR INWARDLY DIRECTED RIB UPON THE INNER WALL OF SAID SHAFT UPWARDLY SPACED FROM SAID OPEN LOWER END DEFINING A RESTRICTED OPENING IN WHICH SAID RETRIEVER MEANS IS MOVABLE DURING RETRACTING AND PROJECTING MOVEMENT AND DEFINING A POCKET WITHIN SAID SHAFT BELOW SAID RIB, SAID SPRING LEGS OF SAID RETRIEVER MEANS HAVING INWARDLY DIRECTED FINGER PORTIONS AT THEIR LOWER ENDS, SHOULDER PORTIONS SPACED UPWARDLY FROM SAID FINGER PORTIONS A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE DEPTH OF SAID POCKET FOR ENGAGING BENEATH SAID RIB TO LIMIT THE RETRACTION OF SAID RETRIEVER MEANS UNDER THE PRESSURE OF SAID SPRING MEANS TO A POSITION WHEREIN SAID FINGER PORTIONS ARE DISPOSED IN SAID POCKET ENTIRELY ABOVE SAID OPEN LOWER END OF SAID SHAFT, DOWNWARDLY DIVERGENT INCLINED PORTIONS SPACED UPWARDLY FROM SAID SHOULDER MEANS, AND PORTIONS INTERMEDIATE SAID SHOULDER PORTIONS AND SAID INCLINED PORTIONS OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DEPTH OF SAID POCKET DISPOSED PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER IN SAID CLOSED POSITION AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID RIB WITHIN SAID RESTRICTED OPENING IN THE FULLY RETRACTED POSITION OF SAID RETRIEVER MEANS AND IN A PARTIALLY RETRACTED POSITION, AND SAID INCLINED PORTIONS BEING MOVABLE INTO LATERALLY OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID RIB WITHIN SAID RESTRICTED OPENING AS SAID RETRIEVER MEANS IS MOVED TO ITS FULLY PROJECTED POSITION TO ALLOW SAID LEGS TO MOVE TO OPEN POSITION. 